On ranches for harvesting fresh produce such as grapes, exotics, lightweight tree fruit, and other fruits and vegetables, the harvested produce is often placed in a ventilated box or container. In some applications, the fresh produce is initially packed into a plurality of smaller ventilated plastic containers or bags which, in turn, are loaded into the ventilated box or container. The ventilated container typically includes a bottom wall, a pair of opposing side walls, and a pair of opposing end walls. After packing the harvested produce into the ventilated container, the container is loaded onto a pallet. The foregoing process of packing the harvested produce into a ventilated container and loading the ventilated container onto the pallet is repeated until the pallet supports a predetermined number (e.g., 96) of the ventilated containers. The ventilated containers are typically arranged on the pallet in multiple stacks. For example, if the pallet is a North American Grocery Industry standard pallet measuring 40 inches in width by 48 inches in length and the ventilated container measures approximately 20 inches in width by 12 inches in length, the pallet can support 96 ventilated containers arranged in eight stacks with twelve containers per stack.
After the predetermined number of ventilated containers are loaded onto the pallet, the loaded pallet is moved to a refrigeration unit to cool and/or store the fresh produce. Since the refrigeration unit has a limited capacity, it is important that the ventilated containers be designed for optimal cooling efficiency. To optimize cooling efficiency, the ventilated containers are provided with strategically positioned cooling vents. Cool air from the refrigeration unit flows or is forced through the vents in the containers. After cooling the fresh produce in the ventilated containers, the ventilated containers are shipped to grocery stores and fresh produce markets, where the fresh produce is sold to consumers.
During cooling, shipping and storage of the ventilated containers, it is important to prevent compression and breakdown of the side walls and end walls of the ventilated containers while they are stacked on top of one another. To exhibit superior stacking performance, the ventilated containers should provide sufficient torsional and flexural (structural) rigidity. Without structural rigidity, containers at or near the bottom of a stack could buckle under the weight of the containers stacked above them. Due to this buckling, the fresh produce in one or more containers may either be damaged or destroyed. Furthermore, without appropriate structural characteristics, the containers could sway or amplify vibration in transit, thereby causing abrasion damage to the fresh produce.
Accordingly, a need exists for a stackable ventilated container which provides sufficient structural rigidity and, therefore, exhibits enhanced stacking strength.